A while back, I hosted one of television's biggest saltwater-fishing celebrities for a few days. Sea conditions were perfect throughout the period, and on one of those days, we decided to fly-fish for whatever we might come across out there.

Eventually we discovered several acres of Sargasso grass, some of which had compacted into small, thick mats. That is prime structure for tripletails. But our search through this very promising area yielded not a single fish. At least, not until we noticed a log in a small opening in the grass. That different structure held a school of tripletails, and we soon caught enough of them to provide delicious entrees at supper that night.

Toward the end of that day, something occurred that simply must be reported. Those fish had been fairly cooperative, and after we had caught a few of them on sinking flies, I suggested my guest try a popper. That amounted to rank speculation, since neither I nor anyone else I knew of had ever caught a 'tail on a popper.

But my guest did! That was a real hoot to watch. Try to imagine a 6-pound bluegill taking a bream bug off the surface, and you have some idea of how it went. On flat water, it's well worth trying.

Just as these fish vary in color when you spot them in different positions, they can display radically different attitudes toward your offerings. Generally, though, a fresh shrimp impaled on a 1/4-ounce jighead suspended a foot or so beneath a popping cork is taken without much hesitation. Cast the rig close enough to the fish to get its attention, but not spook it.

With this rig, the main perk is that the bait stays in the fish's face. Without the float, the bait sinks or you have to retrieve it. Either of those options usually causes the fish to lose interest. The almost stationary presentation provided by the cork gives the fish time to make up its mind to eat it. A live shrimp in lieu of a dead one might help convince the fish to eat.

Another attribute of a popping rig is its ability to "call out" fish that lie beneath a thick mat of grass and some distance from its edges. Plunk it down alongside the mat, give the cork a good pop, and then let it sit for a few moments. If any tripletails are at home, they may come out to at least investigate it.

Medium-weight spinning or casting tackle and 15- or 20-pound line are appropriate for this fishing, since you may also call out a larger cobia.

As for fly-fishing for 'tails, that's the method used for something like 95 percent of those that have been caught from my boat. Sinking flies are extremely effective at times, and for apparently the same reason that the suspended shrimp are -- they stay in the fish's face. Small unweighted Deceiver-types and crab patterns that measure between 2 and 2 1/2 inches long on a size 2/0 hook work well. A 10-weight outfit complete with a 16-pound leader tipped with a foot of 40-pound fluorocarbon is about right. It also serves adequately for most cobia that might suddenly appear.

Present the fly to a point beyond the floating tripletail and in such a way that you don't cast right over the fish and "line" it. Then retrieve the fly right across the fish's nose, using slow, short strips. But you may have to vary that retrieve speed if no strikes are drawn. Just try something different if the fish looks like it's losing interest.

Once you finally hook a tripletail, don't be surprised if you get a nice jump or two out of it, no matter what kind of gear you are using! That's another part of this fish's personality that so endears them to me.